“Pregnancy emotions”- WTA players accused of “misogyny and jealousy” as they storm the internet congratulating Jannik Sinner while visibly snubbing Aryna Sabalenka on her Australian Open win

A glaring contrast in support for Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka sparks debate on gender equality in sports.

“Pregnancy emotions”- WTA players accused of “misogyny and jealousy” as they storm the internet congratulating Jannik Sinner while visibly snubbing Aryna Sabalenka on her Australian Open win

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka (Credits: Al Jazeera and The Guardian)

Jannik Sinner has done it. After having reached his first-ever Grand Slam final, the Italian won the Australian Open 2024 with a stellar comeback. The match lasted for 5 sets and Sinner dominated Russian powerhouse Daniil Medvedev after going down in the first two. But after the Italian’s unbelievable win, the WTA has somehow gotten itself into controversy again.

Just yesterday Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka won her second Australian Open by defeating Chinese star Qinwen Zheng. However, after the match not many players, especially WTA players congratulated her. As Sabalenka basked in her moment of glory, the virtual congratulation that flooded Sinner’s way was notably absent for the Belarusian.

YouTube video

Meanwhile, Sinner’s victory stood in stark contrast with that of Sabalenka. Unlike the Belarusian, he got an outpouring of wishes and support from fans, peers and tennis pundits alike, especially the WTA section. This created a glaring discrepancy in the way both players received support and wishes.

FS Video

Many believe the outpouring of wishes could be because this was the Italian’s maiden Grand Slam win. And as Sabalenka has already won a Grand Slam, Sinner’s achievement in a way stands out. But others believe that the WTA players should have been more upfront with their best wishes.

Fans react to the double standards of the WTA players

The differential treatment by the WTA did not go unnoticed by the fans and users of X (formerly Twitter). Accusations of misogyny and jealousy started surfacing.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)

The selective acknowledgement by the WTA players elicited several responses on the social media platform. Below are some of them:

https://twitter.com/sun393435/status/1751590640079516051?s=20

As the issue continues, it serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the obstacles that female athletes confront in their quest for recognition and respect. Despite substantial progress towards gender equality in tennis and sports in general, situations like this highlight the continued need for greater solidarity and inclusivity within the sporting community.

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